18 killed in Indian bridge stampede

At least 18 people, including eight children, have been killed, and more than a dozen injured following the collapse of a bridge which triggered a stampede in India.

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The police said that ten women and eight children are among those killedPhoto: Aftab Alam Suddiqui/AP

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An estimated 400,000 Hindu devotees thronged up to 65 riverside locations prepared to cater to worshippers travelling to the GangesPhoto: Aftab Alam Suddiqui/AP

5:55PM GMT 19 Nov 2012

Hundreds of Hindu worshippers had gathered along the bank of the Ganges River in Patna to offer prayers to the sun god during the Chhath festival, when a power outage sparked panic.

Crowds swelled on to a makeshift bamboo walkway leading from the riverbank, and people trampled one another as they fought to get to shore. About 20 people were rushed to the hospital, and about six were in critical condition.

"Ten women and eight children are among those killed," the police officer said, adding the toll was likely to go up as several other Hindu devotees were reported missing at the site.

Indian television stations showed ambulances with sirens wailing ferry worshippers to various city hospitals, while Sanjay Kumar Singh, a city administrator, said power darkness at the site made rescue efforts more difficult.

Patna is capital of the eastern Indian state of Bihar, where the annual Chhath festival dedicated to the Hindu Sun God is popular.